Six army battalions called up under emergency orders to meet growing threat

[ipser]

The IDF has issued emergency call up orders to six reserve battalions in light of new dangers on the Egyptian and Syrian borders. And the Knesset has given the IDF permission to summon a further 16 reserve battalions if necessary, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

An IDF spokesperson said intelligence assessments called for the deployment of more soldiers.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset...df-battalions/

[Golani]

No need for panic, pure media BS in the flesh.

First of all- it's 22 battalion, not 6.
Secondly this decision was made up to a year ago, it has nothing to do with outside threats, a lot to do with inner conflicts- this is a way around the budget decrees and various laws that have to do with how much service a reservist needs to do. (the new law says a reservist would "deploy" only once every 3 years, since a deployment is about a month+ of continues service) in reality the IDF is undermanned to afford such a loose reservist use and finds itself in need of more reservist deployments.

[PhilipLaos]

I only heard today that the US has military units in the Sinai.

They are part of 'Task Force Sinai'.


Philip

[Pruitt]

It should be part of the Multi-national Peace Force. It used to be a Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division. I am not sure who they use now.

Pruitt

[Destroyer25]

Originally Posted by Pruitt

It should be part of the Multi-national Peace Force. It used to be a Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division. I am not sure who they use now.

Pruitt

• United States - The US contributes three units collectively known as Task Force Sinai:[10]
  • Force HQ - 40 personnel
  • Infantry Battalion (USBATT - drawn from National Guard units)- 425 personnel currently members of the Maryland Army National Guard[11]
  • Support Battalion - 235 personnel consisting of:
    • Headquarters
    • Medical Company consisting of Dental, Medical, Physical Therapy, Veterinarian, Medical Logistics (Medical Supply & Medical Maintenance), and Preventative Medicine.
    • Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment (EOD)
    • Aviation Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multina...tates_involved

[Vector]

Am not surprised IDF calls up more forces. Sadly, due to mass defections among Israel's Left-leaning populations, as well as among the ultra-religious, the Army doesn't have enough forces for all the threats we're facing.

[Naffenea]

I believe the US has had a battalion in the Sinai for about 30 years as part of the peace keeping.

[Pruitt]

Vector,

Are you saying the Leftists are draft dodging? If you catch them doing it, expel them, hopefully to the country they emigrated from.

Pruitt

[Golani]

Not all, but a great sum of them.

From the overall population that is required, by law, to serve in the Army- only ~63% actually join the service.
This data excludes those that join and drop out in the process of the service, so the number is essentially higher.
If you look into reserve service as well, the number grows even higher, Only ~21% of people of age serve in the reserve (it's not easy to deduce exact conclusions from that number, because some of the 79% that don't serve are exempt due to legitimate reasons, but it's clear to see how the burden falls).

It is important to note that not all of the 37% of the dodgers are "leftist".

[Vector]

Originally Posted by Pruitt

Vector,

Are you saying the Leftists are draft dodging? If you catch them doing it, expel them, hopefully to the country they emigrated from.

Pruitt

They by far are not the only ones dodging the draft, but quite a few are. Let's just say that among many Israelis, some areas of the country, which are mostly populated by Left-leaning individuals, are considered to be nearly draft-free. In those areas you will also occasionally find restraunts and cafes which will refuse to serve military personnel, as long as they are wearing the uniform (though such occurences are fairly rare).

On the other side, almost the entire Arab population is exempt from the draft (although few do join the IDF); nearly entire ultra-orthodox population is draft-free (we're talking about nearly 500,000 souls, I'd assume about 20% of those could be drafted, or at least join the National Service).

BTW, the gov't is currently working on a law that would remove draft exemptions from Jewish population (I doubt that the Arab population would be included in this).

[Jonathanrex1]

Originally Posted by Vector

On the other side, almost the entire Arab population is exempt from the draft (although few do join the IDF); nearly entire ultra-orthodox population is draft-free (we're talking about nearly 500,000 souls, I'd assume about 20% of those could be drafted, or at least join the National Service).

Both those groups are Israel's fastest growing demographics. So it is not looking good for the military.

[ipser]

On Thursday, May 3, Israel mobilized six reserve battalions and received the government’s permission to mobilize 16 more, a security measure due to potential problems in the Sinai desert and the volatile situation in Syria, or so we are told. But the mobilization of 22 battalions means that there is more to this situation than meets the eye.

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/05/08/winds-of-war/

[Vector]

Originally Posted by Jonathanrex1

it is not looking good for the military.

I'd say it's not looking good for the country in general...

[Golani]

Wow, talk about making a mountain out of completely nothing.

My battalion is one of the 22 and we know about it since November.
The IDF is just undermanned, that's all.

[Pruitt]

Oded,

I thought Israeli Jewish males had a Reserve commitment until they were into their 50's? What is the obligation now? Are they just asking for voluntary call-ups?

Pruitt